The effects of long-term occupational exposure to carbon disulphide on serum lipids

Abstract

No definite conclusion can be made from many epidemiological and clinical studies of lipid metabolism in workers exposed to carbon disulphide (CS2). The aim of our investigation was to study the serum lipid levels in workers exposed to different CS2 levels to establish possible exposure-response relationships. The first group, spinners, were exposed to high CS2 levels; the second group, workers in viscose production, to low CS2 levels; and the third group included non-exposed workers. As a part of a large examination, total and free serum cholesterol, total lipid and triglyceride levels were determined. Mean total lipid levels were similar in high and low CS2 exposed workers, but significantly lower in non-exposed workers. The total serum cholesterol mean levels were also similar in both groups, but significantly higher in the non-exposed group. Only serum triglyceride values were related to the CS2 levels: the most elevated were in the high exposed workers, somewhat lower in the low exposed, and the lowest in the non-exposed group. The finding is especially important as triglycerides are the most specific for developing atherosclerosis, which is often reported in workers with long-term exposure to carbon disulphide.

Increased oxidative stress in subjects exposed to carbon disulfide (CS 2 ) - an occupational coronary risk factor

“…In addition, increased prevalence of hypertension was observed in subjects exposed to CS 2 for longer than 10 years (Balcarova and Halik 1991, Beauchamp et al 1983, Liss and Finkelstein 1996, Nofer et al 1961, Nurminen et al 1982, Peplonska et al 1996, 2001Swaen et al 1994, Sweetnam et al 1987, Tiller et al 1968, Tolonen et al 1975, Wronska-Nofer et al 1990). The increased CHD incidence related to the prolonged exposure to CS 2 was accompanied by a dyslipoproteinemia with increased total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and decreased HDL-cholesterol (Manu et al 1972, Wronska-Nofer et al 1990, Rudkowska et al 1978, Egeland et al 1992, Krstev et al 1992, Vanhoorne et al 1992. In experimental animals CS 2 was shown to induce disturbances in cholesterol synthesis and elimination of the products of cholesterol metabolism with bile (Wronska- Nofer 1969, WronskaNofer and Parke 1978, Wronska-Nofer et al 1980).…”

Critical review of the epidemiological literature on the potential cardiovascular effects of occupational carbon disulfide exposure

“…Half of the studies of the cardiac effects of CS 2 exposure levels ‡20 ppm are characterized by a lack of assessment or control of confounding factors, with data on potential covariates collected but only unadjusted results presented [14,24,50,56,57]. Two studies may have introduced bias due to design flaws [46,55], and one presented results that were uninterpretable with respect to the relationship between the outcomes reported and their impact on actual cardiac risk status [17].…”

“…Ten of these papers, representing six specific cohorts from Finland, Japan, Belgium, Egypt, Yugoslavia and Taiwan, reported on viscose rayon workers from factories where average exposures were ‡20 ppm [14,17,24,25,46,50,55,56,57,60]. One of these, the report by Sakurai, did not include quantitative exposure estimates for the facility under study, but the author suggested that, due to lack of engineering controls in the facility under investigation, average exposure levels were likely to have exceeded 20 ppm [46].…”